2/26/11

Upon a subway platform, here I stand,
This pivot between Williamsburg and Queens,
Here, on this spot where you and I began,
From whence I first I sought out your company.

One winter evening when I journeyed far,
And crossed the burroughs in search of your soul 
I only then suspected who you are,
And knew not of the love we would unfold.

And now years passed, we both live far from here,
Together in the place we share our life.
As I remember back across the years,
That young man's travel to his future wife,

I wonder if he could have then conceived,
One day he'd miss you here, so desperately

2/25/11

Today you went to sleep, my love.
While surgeons carried out their chores,
I kept my own mind thinking of,
The life we've had, and have in store.
I thought of all that we will do,
And all we'll love, and plan, and scheme, 
And how I'll spend my days with you.
You slept, yet it is I who dreamed.

2/24/11

When hope has failed we must make more,
Sparse, fleeting luck shall not sustain,
Lost faith must somehow be restored,
Belief must be life's true refrain. 

2/23/11

Some dogs live lives that go unsung,

But mine shall hereby be declared.

My dog’s  a sacred talisman,

Who guards my house from dark despair,

Some canines give quick tricks or stunts,

Bring slippers to their masters feet,

Some carry quarry from the hunt.

Mine fetches peace and sanity.

2/22/11

I wouldn’t give a second,

Nor let a moment pass.

I wouldn’t let remembrance fade,
From first until the last.

Although it often pains me,

To think that you’re not near,

I wouldn’t give an instant of the time that you were here.

2/21/11

There once was a woman who talked all the time.

From sunset to sunrise she preached and pronounced.

She chattered and prattled and wistfully whined,

And when irritated, expounded in shouts.

She issued, with volume, each thought in her head,

Without second thought of result or effect.

There was no intention behind what she said,

Just pure stream of consciousness, launched and beset.

And as each cacophony fell from her tongue,

What subtext did her conversation belie?

Perhaps it was just songs of terror she sung,

And fear of the silence that sounds when we die.

2/20/11

On a table in my parlor,

There a half-spent candle sits.

You were with me, sitting near me, when at first its flame was lit.

Now, your presence, but remembrance,

Yet, this candle still burns bright.

How can something so ephemeral outlive so strong a light?

Still, time passes and the wax drips,

As this too shall be consumed.

And though countless of its brethren may illuminate these rooms,

You’ll be with me, sitting near me,

Basking in the fire glow,

Of my love that lasts forever after all lights come and go.

2/19/11

A stranger who wanders familiar lands,
Left dazed by the changelessness in all he sees,
He babbles a language no one understands,
And startles each time he recieves sympathies.

The world all around him seems skewed and unfair,
But what of a sunrise should he find unjust?
The turn of this earth shows no passion or care,
And those kept upon it live on as they must.

2/18/11

Please get me off your radar, God,

And test me not again this year.

I understand this is your job,

To challenge me with pain and fear,

But, I believe that there must be,

Somebody else to focus on.

Grant me relief, a time for peace,

Just like it says in that old Psalm.

Avert, thine eyes, oh Lord divine.

Forget my blessings and my sins.

Across expanse of space and time,

I now beseech, let me blend in.

Forsake me just a little while.

Ignore me. Engage not my soul,

In myriads of earthly trials,

And cosmic games of whack-a-mole.

2/17/11

It is my earnest wish that all black suits,

Should be sewn out of paper, not of cloth,

So that they may be burned after each use,

And serve not as reminders of our loss.

All fibers become soiled with pain and grief,

Which ride our backs as heavy burdens fall,

From their dark charge, allow they be released,

Lest bitter, mournful, moments be recalled.

Let garments not absorb our miseries,

Then lay wait in our closets, ghoulishly.

2/16/11

Today, I have lost everything,

And yet, I am a wealthy man.

Today, I feel grief’s ache and sting,

And yet, I am a wealthy man.

I’ve lost my father and my friend,

And yet, your life will stay with me.

I shall not sit with you again,

And yet, you shall remain with me.

All that you gave is mine to keep,

And make my own as I go forth,.

You shall not fade, you shall not sleep,

I speak your name with no remorse,

I hold you close, and always will, 

In all I do and who I am.

I loved you then, I love you still,

For this, I am a wealthy man.

2/15/11

I sat with you in the twilight,

I drove with you in the rain,

I walked with you in the sunlight,

I stood with you and prayed,

I gave you my love and recalled you,

I wept as your life was revered,

I looked in the mirror and saw you,

And knew you will always be here.

2/14/11

An empty closet where a coat once hung,

A shelf once rich with books now stands agape,

Clean, barren, surfaces where work was done,

Dry crumbs from savored meals on unwashed plates,

All screens gone dark, all music left un-played,

Lamps coat the corners with unneeded light,

Discarded glasses stare off into space,

A clock still ticks, yet no one asks the time,

The windows, shut and breezeless, waste their views,

The chairs, like silent mourners, stand alone,

Though all appears familiar, without you,

A house may still remain, but not a home.

2/13/11

Oh, what a wonder are the human eyes,

A marvel of the universe, it’s true,

Your tears fall ‘till you think you have no more,

And then you find how many you still do.

2/12/11

A father and his children flying kites,

Unspooling string to feed their slow assent.

Their tethered toys, like butterflies, alight,

And foot by foot approach the firmament.

Upon the whipping winds, they dance and rise,

So high, we use a telescope to see.

I always used to fear of losing mine,

If it should break it’s line and wander free..

And now, I feel that tender fear again,

As I reluctantly draw out these ties,

In love of something very precious sent,

Away to sail the oceans of the sky.

I know the thread must break and free your flight,

Yet still, a child with trembling hands holds tight.

2/11/11

There’s Bebop Jazz in heaven,

The greats are all on stage.

In some small club, the songs you love will be forever played.

The band tonight is swinging,

Piano, horns, and vibes.

The drums and bass keep offbeat pace. The music comes alive.

A while, we listen with you.

We all enjoy the show.

Then comes the time to say goodbye. As we begin to go,

You smile, and turn to watch them,

Bop your head and tap your feet.

There’s Bebop Jazz in heaven, and you’ve got a front row seat.

2/10/11

No poems should be read today,

For you no longer hear them sung.

Let artful noise be put away,

And cleverness held on our tongues.

Let speeches cease, leave verse unheard,

Let lyrics languish to their end.

What use are strings of pretty words,

If I can’t speak with you again?

2/9/11

Stop the ticking pendulum,

And hold it from its mighty sweep.

Let this day be never done,

Command this time to hold and keep.

Moments, neither wax nor wane.

The clock’s cold march must acquiesce.

Everything must stay the same,

I have not strength for what comes next.

2/8/11

Like embers in a fireplace grown cold,

A line of blue horizon through the storm,

Like prophecy of better times foretold,

Or word of rumor passed to those forlorn,

All shadow stems from brightness at its source,

Although, at times, this light remains unseen.

Hope roots in soils of sadness and remorse,

Is it not in the darkness that we dream?

2/7/11

Dear, (your-name-here), now you shall always be,

Etched in eternal stone, immortalized,

Remembered here and throughout history.

As these words live, your name shall never die.

An icon, fixed within this written verse,

The soul of (your-name-here) shall be retained,

A constant in the changing universe.

Perhaps, with luck, you’ll even garner fame,

As (your-name-here) inspires and beguiles,

And tantalizes with it’s mystery.

Your name become a subtle halfway smile,

Forever questioned by humanity.

Else, keep you title for yourself alone,

And be not called by those you’ve never known.

2/6/11

I haven’t got a thing to say,
No words of any interest,
No observations of the day,
No passions that I may profess.
I wish not to philosophize,
The muse returns a cold rebuff.
Today, I lived. Today, I died.
Is that not poetry enough?

2/5/11

A simple, single, sheet of paper, creased widthwise in half,

With no intrinsic value.  No one’s famous autograph.

No winning contest numbers, nor a secret ballot vote.

Not minted into currency, or stocks or banking notes.

No permit, ticket, license, or identifying proof.

No oracle’s prophetic wisdom, scribbled down forsooth.

Like thousands I have thrown away, this page unbound and plain,

Yet, priceless now, it’s surface inked forever with your name.

2/4/11

Fair moments in our photographs,
Quick clippings cut from history.
A sand plucked from the hourglass,
But, what of moments in between.

The blur of time, freeze-framed, defines,
The carousel menagerie.
Our keepsakes shine, yet leave us blind,
To all the moments in between.

These images oft don’t convey,
Life’s steadfast hope and daily strife.
We see short bursts of joy and play,
But none of toil and sacrifice.

So, in these snaps of happiness,
And pleasant memories we glean,
We must look past this pictured bliss,
And see the moments in between.

2/3/11

An empty wall stands in my home, its surface clean and bare.

Of rooms and halls, this spot alone, shows nothing meant to share.

Each other place holds bric-a-brac, upon which I reflect,

A painting or a photograph, all dear to me, and yet,

As I install these painted scenes, these treasures, toys, and posts,

An empty wall on which to dream, remains what I love most.

2/2/11

Today, I happened to receive somebody else’s mail,

And for a moment, self-deceived, I spun a wild tale,

In which I was another man whose lifetime was repressed,

Peculiar aims, career, and plans. Another home address.

Strange friends and odd acquaintances, apart from all I knew,

Fresh memories, experience, bizarre beliefs and views.

My soul began to drift away, yet then my heart recalled,

The joy and love which fills my days, this man knew not at all.

And so I tossed it in the pail, this other life I missed.

My doppelganger lost his mail, why should this man get his?

2/1/11

To hear you changed the world might make you laugh,

You’d wave your hand and scoff dismissively.

But all the things you did on our behalf,

Have truly changed the course of history.

The love you freely gave in life has grown,

Between your loved ones and your closest friends.

Your children’s children pass it to their own,

And it continues onward without end.

Your spirit and your humor live in those,

Who knew you in their hearts and keep you still.

All faith and strength we find within us shows,

The life which you inspire and always will.

How many words of wisdom, kind and just?

How many acts of goodness have transpired?

How much has fate been changed by each of us,

In emulation of one so admired?

You changed the world, so simply- yet divine.

I know this to be true, for you changed mine.